misunderstanding

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmisunderstandingmis‧un‧der‧stand‧ing /ˌmɪsʌndəˈstændɪŋ $ -ər-/ ●●○ noun1[countable, uncountable]UNDERSTAND# a problem caused by someone not understanding a question, situation, or instruction correctlyThere must have been some misunderstanding. I didn’t order all these books.2[countable]UNDERSTAND# an argument or disagreement that is not very serious – often used humorouslyTerry had a little misunderstanding with the police last night.► see thesaurus at argumentCOLLOCATIONSverbsavoid a misunderstandingState clearly what you expect, to avoid misunderstandings later on.cause/lead to a misunderstandingHearing loss can cause misunderstandings, when what you say is not correctly heard.Don’t just assume that you know what he means; that can lead to misunderstandings.a misunderstanding arises (=a misunderstanding starts)Misunderstandings can easily arise when people from different cultures meet.clear up/correct a misunderstanding (=get rid of a misunderstanding)I want to talk to you, to try and clear up any misunderstandings.be based on a misunderstanding (=happen or be done as a result of a misunderstanding)The whole argument was based on a misunderstanding.phrasesthere has been a misunderstandingThere’s been a misunderstanding about what I meant.there must be some misunderstanding (=used when you think someone has not understood something correctly)I think there must be some misunderstanding - I don’t know anyone called Barry.there is no misunderstandingI am writing to make sure there is no misunderstanding between us.something is all a misunderstanding (=used when saying that a situation happened because of a mistake)Why don’t you call him and tell him it was all a misunderstanding?a bit of a misunderstanding British EnglishI’m afraid it’s all a bit of a misunderstanding.adjectivesa serious/terrible misunderstandingThere have been some serious misunderstandings which have led to conflict.a little misunderstanding (=one that is not serious)We need to clear up this little misunderstanding.a simple misunderstanding (=one that is not serious and is easy to correct)It was a simple misunderstanding: I thought the meeting was on Wednesday, not Thursday.a complete/total misunderstandingThere seems to be a complete misunderstanding of how the changes will affect us.a fundamental misunderstanding (=a misunderstanding of the main point of something)a fundamental misunderstanding of Freud’s theoriesa widespread misunderstanding (=a misunderstanding that many people share)There is a widespread misunderstanding of the purpose of the law.a cultural misunderstanding (=a misunderstanding caused by different cultures doing things in a different way)Cultural misunderstandings have led to fights between students.